“God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength.” Charles Spurgeon
1 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
It is important to understand one big theological word.
Justification
God has made me right with Him, hence, I am accepted and righteous in His sight. All my sins are wiped away and I am now clothed with His righteousness.
This word means to be made right with God. It is a gift from God. We get this by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. It is at this time we become the righteousness of God.
Unfortunately, we all recognize that we are not perfect, and because of that we sometimes doubt our justification and confuse it with God’s call for us to embrace the process of sanctification. Our imperfections do not change the fact that we are the righteousness of God.
When God looks at you, He looks through the eyes of Jesus. He looks through the finished work of His Son. Righteousness is never earned or worked for, it is a free gift of God. The scripture says, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” So we are made righteous simply by putting our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
My very best day of obedience to the Lord is not even good enough. It doesn’t matter how true I stay to His word, all of my righteousness is “like filthy rags.” Ephesians 2:8 says, “for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves so that no man can boast.
From time to time I hear people say the phrase, things like – “we’re all just sinners saved by grace.” To a degree, I understand what they are trying to say. It’s more like a show of humility. But, at one point, we are all going to decide what we really are. Am I still a sinner or am I the righteousness of God?
“To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…” 1 Corinthians 1:2
The words “sanctified” and “holy” come from the same Greek root as the word that is commonly translated “saints.” We are saints by virtue of our faith connection with Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Father, thank you for making me right with you. I recognize that I am clothed with your righteousness. My hope now is built on nothing less that Jesus blood and His righteousness. I declare my dependence on you for everything I need pertaining to life and for godliness. Thank you for making me righteous. In view of your mercy, I offer my body as a living sacrifice unto you as an act of reverence and worship. In Jesus Name – Amen!
Walter Bright 